I don't remember where I first came across this "5 Ingredients. 5 Minutes. 5 Meals." post (pinterest? Not sure because it isn't on my Eats board, but oh well), but I love it and have to share. They are simple noodle recipes that are easy to throw together any night of the week.

We made hokkien noodles with tofu, honey & soy last night & it was delish.

source

We loaded it up with tofu & zuchinni (for a little green) and chowed down. Towards the middle of my meal, I mixed in a half tablespoon of crunchy peanut butter and YUM. I will likely do that from the beginning next time!

We've also tried the Japanese Noodle Soup with Spinach & it was great as well. As someone who isn't a great cook who is married to someone who is, I like finding easy recipes so that I can give him a break from time to time. These will now be in rotation!

I love it. They linked to the original article which had other cityscapes and trompe l'oeil murals. Ahh Paris, je t'adore!

Before doing any research, I thought they were hand painted murals. More clicking around led me to the company's website (Pixers) & I was surprised to learn that they are stickers...and how easy and affordable they are!

They are custom sized, even better! All you have to do is enter the height and width you want, then position the window over the part of the mural you'd like to have printed. Easy!

An 8' x 9' mural costs under $300, which really surprised me. I expected it to be far more expensive!

They have a lot of other designs and images - I highly recommend checking them out :)

I came across this list from, randomly, my daily BabyCenter digest. It led to a House Beautiful slideshow that shows 10 trends that people think will fade away in 2013. There are some I agree with & some I don't, but overall I found it to be an interesting list.

1) Taxidermy - YES

I have never understood or liked the taxidermy and faux animal head trend that went wild last year. It is now so overdone that I think this is one trend that will fade away.

I think I'll always love open layouts. Especially kitchens that open up into dining areas &/or family rooms. At every party, it seems we all end up congregating in the kitchen. The kitchen gets small...so it then spills over into the adjacent dining area, then living room. I like that everyone feels like they're all together, even if technically in different rooms.

3) Cliched Design - ??

I guess so? This vague title goes on further to explain that an Eiffel Tower statue and french style rug does not a french interior make. As a francophile, I have a few Eiffel Tower figurines sprinkled around the house, but I by no means think that defines our decor!

4) Cookie Cutter Kitchens - YES & NO

I love alternatives to granite, but am a stainless steel appliance fan through & through. I love modern white kitchens with stainless appliances and can't picture this trend fading away any time soon.

Overload is the key word here. Am I the only one who finds chalkboards - chalk specifically - to be a dusty mess? I sometimes really like the way they work, mainly in the kitchen or a playroom, but people are chalkboard painting everything these days and I am over it.

I love a bowl of green apples as decoration in the kitchen. Sometimes I eat them, sometimes I don't :)

8) Neon - YES

Let's leave neon in the 80's where it belongs, mmkay?

9) Intentionally Distressed Furniture - YES

With a caveat - I think this is a personal choice, not necessarily a trend! If I had a farmhouse in the south, then I'd probably have a piece of distressed furniture or two. It's just not my favorite look overall.

10) TVs on the Mantle - YES & NO

One of the first things that I put on this blog was that "TVs don't have to hang above the mantle". Sometimes it's the best option though, so I'll hold off on judgement for this one :)

Are there any trends that you wish would just go away?

p.s. It's nice to talk to you all again! I owe an update post, I know. Just know that I am back to work, accepting new clients & that life is good. So, so good.

I think I'm the only person in the history of blogs who doesn't care for Aden + Anais swaddle blankets! I should clarify - they are very cute & super soft. I like that I can fold it up really small and put it in the diaper bag. But for swaddling use? Not so much. They never worked for use like this blanket did (& still does!):

At just over 9 weeks, we still swaddle H in this blanket. Swaddle Designs blankets are flannel & SUPER CUTE! Yes, even cuter than A+A. I received it as a gift at my shower and immediately wanted to buy more after H was born. They are a bit pricey at $25/blanket, but we use it every single night so it is more than worth it. Plus, I like that they are all sewn & made in the USA (Seattle!).

They also have cute tags with instructions on how to swaddle.

I wanted to write a quick post in case there are other parents out there who aren't having luck with the Aden + Anais blankets that everyone else seems to love!